Featured TV on DVD Review: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Road Rally

September 4, 2010

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Road Rally - Buy from Amazon

The latest DVD release for the Disney preschool series, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, is a Road Rally, which is described on the DVD cover as, "A Full-Length Adventure". In reality, it's a double-length episode plus a bonus episode.

The Show

Road Rally starts with the Silly Switch giving Mickey and Goofy the idea to have a road rally, a race around the area where all of the people will be racing different vehicles. Mickey will be driving his car, Daisy will be roller skating, Chip 'n' Dale will be on a scooter, and Goofy will be riding his bike. At least that's Goofy's plan, but he can't find his bike right away, and when he does, it's still broken from the last time he tried to fix it. Fortunately for him, Professor Von Drake has a new Clubhouse Rescue Truck for him to drive.

And with that, the whole gang is off and racing, even Toodles. (I must have missed the episode where Toodles started talking.) Throughout the episode, Pete races ahead of the pack, only to get overconfident and get distracted from the race. Meanwhile, there are a lot of obstacles in the path of the racers, but instead of turning to Toodles like they normally do, Goofy is able to save the day in his brand-new Clubhouse Rescue Truck, which makes Toodles worried that he's no longer needed.

While I dispute the label, "Full-Length", Road Rally doesn't feel like two episodes stitched together either. It has multiple lessons built into the story, including the usual problem solving part. The Pete story shows that winning isn't the only goal and that having fun is important, while the Toodles story talks about feeling appreciated.

The bonus episode is Pluto Lends A Paw, in which Minnie is trying to make a gift for Figaro, her cat. However, Figaro makes a mess of her ribbons and then runs off, so Minnie, Mickey, and Pluto have to try and find it. To make matters worse, Figaro has a talent for making messes along the way, and the three of them have to clean up.

The Extras

You can also watch Road Rally in Discovery Mode, which has two difficulty levels and active and passive versions. Certainly adds replay value to the main feature.

The Verdict

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: Road Rally is very typical of Disney preschool releases in terms of running time and extras presented. It's a little pricey compared to some preschool releases, but the interactive extra could be enough to put it over the top.


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